RICE harvesting is in progress on the Essequibo Coast and farmers are making full use of the hot weather to cull the grains from their fields. A total of some 34,968 acres will be reaped and production is expected to surpass the set target of one million bags paddy.
Presently, reaping is under way in Queenstown, Golden Fleece, Cotton Field and Lima and reports said factories are purchasing the produce but no prices have officially been made known.
The average yield is 32 bags per acre from the 200 acres already harvested.
Meanwhile, the Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) Department of the regional administration is grading and levelling dams in the cultivation areas to facilitate transport of paddy by farmers from fields to factories.